In cellular wireless communications systems each base station covers a geographical area called a cell. Neighbouring cells usually use different frequencies. Frequencies can be reused in different cells, and cells using the same frequency are usually separated geographically by at least one intermediate cell using a different frequency. A mobile telephone or other mobile communications device in one cell, called the home cell, will normally be served by the base station, called the home base station, in the home cell. For two cells using the same frequency their mutual geographical distance may not always give sufficient attenuation of their signals to ensure that their signals do not interfere with each other, especially for hot spot areas, where frequencies need to be re-used for capacity reasons. Consequently, it may happen that, at some locations in the home cell, the mobile telephone can receive signals from a remote base station in a remote cell using the same frequency. The remote base station handles information or traffic, which is unrelated to the information or traffic handled by the home base station. When signals from two unrelated base stations using the same frequency are received by a mobile telephone, the signals from the remote base station may disturb or interfere with the signals received from the home base station. This is an undesired phenomenon called co-channel interference (CCI), and the remote base station is called a co-channel interferer.
It is the object of the invention to cancel or suppress co-channel interference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,378 discloses a method and an apparatus for increasing the capacity and the quality of communication between remote users and a base station. Co-channel interference is suppressed by using a directive transmitter antenna array directed to individual mobile stations.
WO 98/59443 discloses a method and a system in which co-channel base station are provided with a time reference signal being a synchronizing signal or a time reference from another co-channel radio base station.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,323 discloses a system for accurately locating a mobile station using the Global Positioning System (GPS).
In general, in the state of the art systems for interference suppression, co-channel interferers are demodulated and interference symbols are subtracted from the received symbols. Co-channel interferers can be demodulated in several known ways. After the interference symbols have been subtracted from the received symbols, the remaining symbols are demodulated to extract the useful information from each burst or unit of transmitted signal.